[many constellations are baffled by the current events.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is dumbfounded by the skill 'bookmark'.]
"Is that normal?" Lee Hyunsung asked with a bewildered expression, glancing over at Kim Dokja. Apparently, he didn't even need to wait for a response because the look on Kim Dokja's face must have given him away.
Kim Dokja had never seen this before in TWSA. Skills existed as they were and, while they could change from a base version to an upgraded version—like [Weapons Training] to [Advanced Weapons Training], they never had this kind of bullshit update time.
Kim Dokja let out a long suffering sigh, probably looking incredibly frazzled. "I don't know what's going on, but I hate it."
Dokja mentally swears as Nirvana rapidly approaches, realizing that they're as fast as someone using [Way of the Wind], before realizing that it really is that skill due to Nirvana having reincarnated as an Imyuntar in one of their previous lives. As Nirvana moves to punch Dokja with a mandala, Joonghyuk rushes in between them and orders Dokja to move, fiercely slicing through Nirvana's skill with his sword. As it splits, it seems to make a sound like a building is exploding.
This doesn't slow the reincarnator at all as they swiftly get behind Joonghyuk. In a tone that would almost sound sweet if not for their previous rage, Nirvana calls his and Dokja's friendship touching because of Joonghyuk putting Dokja's safety before his own. Joonghyuk whirls around again, swinging his sword in a wide arc while telling Dokja to stay away.
With a creepy grin, Nirvana whispers in Joonghyuk's ear as they activate [Eternal Nightmare lvl. 8]. "Unfortunately for you, your companion will die."
"Shit," Jung Heewon swore, grimacing as she clenched her fists, "how are they so fast?"
"They're as fast as you, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung muttered nervously.
Actually, since he couldn't use his bookmark of Lycaon, Nirvana was significantly faster than him, and that was a problem. He cursed internally when he realized that Nirvana was, in fact, actually using [Way of the Wind] because that meant that they'd likely be able to keep up with him even after his bookmark was ready.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering excitedly.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is overjoyed to see such wonderful companionship.]
Kim Dokja's jaw dropped and his eyes widened as his heart thudded loudly in his chest. Yoo Joonghyuk had… jumped in front of him? It was one thing for the protagonist to do something when he was in an advantageous position, like he had earlier when he had decapitated that other guy, but to put himself directly in the middle like that was uncharacteristic of him.
"Joonghyuk-ah… um… thank you," Kim Dokja said quietly, not wanting to look directly at the other man. Yoo Joonghyuk's future self didn't even know that Kim Dokja's skill was unusable at the moment too, so Kim Dokja couldn't figure out why he had done it. Still, he was thankful for it because it meant that he hadn't gotten hurt.
The protagonist nodded his head once in acknowledgement, but he seemed to straighten his posture further afterwards. Was he proud of himself for that or something?
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is giggling in amusement.]
[many constellations approve of the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Oh fuck, that's creepy," Han Sooyoung swore as soon as Nirvana began whispering into Yoo Joonghyuk's ear, and Kim Dokja was fairly certain that everyone agreed. All the kids looked varying degrees of sickened by it, but Yoo Mia in particular looked furious.
Yoo Sangah shuddered. "I can't believe they're just using his concern for Dokja-ssi against him like that…"
Kim Dokja hated it. He hated it so much.
He was just a reader, a person who wasn't meant to ever have more than a parasocial relationship with characters who would never acknowledge him. He hated that Nirvana was using him as a weakness for Yoo Joonghyuk almost as much as he hated the fact that he was internally overjoyed to hear that his favourite protagonist cared about him enough for that to be possible.
Lee Jihye's eyes watered as she watched emotionally, clenching her fists as she cried, "Ahjussi, listen to Master and run!"
Unfortunately, Kim Dokja knew he wouldn't run, especially not with Nirvana using that skill.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is expressing great hatred for the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Lee Seolhwa sucked in a breath and she paled slightly. "I don't like the name of that skill…"
And she was right not to. This was going to be horrific.
Joonghyuk's eyes widen in shock or fear right before a glowing mandala clock appears in the air above them, ticking away. A ghostly Nirvana clings to Joonghyuk from behind, looming over him while cradling his jaw in one hand and gently brushing away some of his wavy bangs. As golden probability sparks crackle around those two, Dokja looks up as he recognizes the skill as one that's similar to—yet higher level than—the one that was used by Simulacrum in the theatre dungeon.
Joonghyuk struggles to turn to look at Dokja, like a broken robot, and his expression changes to one of terror. As their eyes meet, Joonghyuk's slowly turn gold and spark, and Dokja realizes that Joonghyuk can't actually see him even though they're looking at each other. Unable to speak, Joonghyuk does his best to convey his intentions through desperate thoughts. 「R…un… aw…ay.」
The prison of memory that traps a person in their most horrific trauma, playing one nightmare over and over again. An Eternal Nightmare.
Yoo Joonghyuk's breath hitched, and Kim Dokja pretended not to see the man's hands trembling as he held onto his sister. This was the worst-case scenario for him, and he was going to go through hell for it.
Kim Dokja felt like shit. If Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't stepped in front of him, he wouldn't have had to endure this.
"Why did you do that?" Kim Dokja asked quietly, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking. "Why would you put yourself in that position?"
Kim Dokja would have been fine. He had [The Fourth Wall], so it's not like anything would happen to him—
"Because I wanted to," Yoo Joonghyuk said as firmly as he could. "Stop asking stupid questions, Kim Dokja."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' approves of the protectiveness of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[several constellations are touched by the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"I think you have more important shit to worry about right now," Han Sooyoung scolded, gesturing to the screen where Nirvana was nearly caressing the protagonist's face. Kim Dokja shuddered, feeling complete and utter revulsion wash over him like a wave.
That was so creepy, it was unnerving and invasive, and the gentleness of their movements made Kim Dokja feel sick.
"I hate them," Yoo Mia hissed, clinging to her brother as tightly as she could. "Why can't they just leave my oppa alone?"
The girl was trying to be strong, but everyone could tell that she was terrified—especially when Kim Dokja said it was like a worse version of what Simulacrum had done to the protagonist all the way back in the Theatre Dungeon. Everyone remembered just how bad that had been, and this was going to be worse.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is watching curiously.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' will not be forced to fight against his allies again.]
Jung Heewon's eyes widened in horror as she read that message. "Wait, that's not going to happen, right?"
Kim Dokja shook his head. "This one is more like being paralyzed as you're forced to relive your worst memory over and over again. I guess a more accurate description would be that it's a horrific mix of [Mental Erosion] and the [Welcome Prison]."
It was still awful either way, but at least Kim Dokja wouldn't have to fight Nirvana and Yoo Joonghyuk. He'd definitely end up dead if that were the case, especially since he didn't have any of his actually useful offensive skills right now. Using his sword and [White Star Weapon Aura] wouldn't do shit against either of them at this point.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is disappointed.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fretting over the safety of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Kim Dokja felt his blood freeze in his veins as Yoo Joonghyuk turned to him with that expression of terror on his face—one that should never have been there in the first place.
"Master, no!" Lee Jihye cried urgently. She seemed extremely upset, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame her at all. This was a horrifying situation, and when he heard Yoo Joonghyuk's desperate mental plea, his heart skipped a beat.
"Joonghyuk-ssi, even in that state, you're doing all you can," Lee Hyunsung sobbed, clearly overcome by emotion already.
However, Kim Dokja wasn't sure what he should be feeling. That thought wasn't directed at him—no, it was for whoever Yoo Joonghyuk was seeing in his nightmare instead. Perhaps it was his sister or Lee Seolhwa from his past life. Maybe it was one of his companions as he was reliving their deaths. He had so much trauma in his mind already; it wouldn't make sense for it to be about Kim Dokja.
It didn't matter that his death was technically the most recent one that Yoo Joonghyuk had seen—even though he had died in front of the protagonist, he had gotten better, so it probably wouldn't affect Yoo Joonghyuk as badly, right? It didn't matter that telling him to run would have made sense in that context too.
All that mattered was that Kim Dokja didn't want it to be about him, not like this.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is clenching his hands into fists.]
Leaning towards Dokja while still keeping an arm around the incapacitated man's shoulders, Nirvana reaches out an arm as though to offer a helping hand as they tell Dokja to come to them, claiming that they will send him off to the netherworld themself. Dokja narrows his eyes as his thoughts rush around, trying to figure out how Nirvana could have this much prowess even though they must also be affected by what is plausible. Focusing on Nirvana's barely existent muscles, Dokja forms a hypothesis.
…Could it be, did they abandon all their close combat skills and invest everything into their mental skills and speed?
Preparing to dodge the overly smug Nirvana's next attack, Dokja wonders if someone is feeding them the information they need in order for them to precisely level up the skills they need to precisely counter Joonghyuk with his fatal weakness. Before Nirvana can get too close, an arrow whistles through the air, stopping the reincarnator and making them look over towards the group they've been ignoring. Beside Jiwon, two of her hwarang stand with their bows still raised.
Shin Yoosung shuddered and clung to Kim Dokja as she yelled at Nirvana. "Leave ahjussi alone! And leave the sooty bastard alone too!"
Lee Gilyoung nodded and nearly snarled at the screen. "Hyung, it's okay if I feed them to Titano later, right?"
For once, Kim Dokja genuinely wondered if that would actually be the better outcome. It's not like he was going to stop the kid unless it looked like he would also end up in the reincarnator's trap.
[many constellations are wondering how the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' is managing probability.]
"Oh that's fucked," Han Sooyoung muttered as she realized the same thing that the future Kim Dokja did.
They had really arranged their stats specifically to counter Yoo Joonghyuk? That was troubling, especially because that meant that someone absolutely had to have told them how to do that. Unfortunately, that was the less worrisome option—the other more horrifying possibility was that Nirvana had been planning to strike at Yoo Joonghyuk's weak spots right from the beginning of this life.
Yoo Sangah's expression was pale and anxious as she glanced over at the two of them once Min Jiwon and her hwarang interfered. "I know you won't run away, so I won't even ask for that. However, please be careful, Dokja-ssi. You don't have any of your combat skills right now."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering if the training session with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' will solve this problem.]
Fuck, it just might.
[many constellations are wondering what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
Jiwon quickly yells for Dokja to leave, stating that there will be no hope for Seoul if he dies or gets caught as well. Nirvana addresses Jiwon, seemingly having interpreted the attack as her coming around to their beliefs and guessing that she must have realized something.
Their eyes widen unnaturally as they glow brighter, only their golden eyes remain the same hue. As Jiwon tries to get Dokja to leave, mentioning that something has happened to Heewon and Sangah, Nirvana's arm appears. Wisps of light, similar to the strands that made up the palm, create a 'sleeve' around their arm as their finger touches Jiwon's forehead. With an uninterested look, Nirvana activates [Thought Infection lvl. 9].
As Jiwon falls back into the waiting arms of her panicked hwarang, her eyes wide, a golden lotus appears between her brows. Nirvana states that they're a lover of beauty, and thus they won't kill her.
The members of the Salvation Church rush forward with weapons drawn, seeming just as insane as the disasters in Peace Land. While the other members defend, one looks after the shaking Jiwon while Dokja explains that [Thought Infection] makes someone obsess about the present by violently amplifying their desires.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is throwing a tantrum.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wondering what the incarnation 'han sooyoung' is doing right now.]
Honestly, Kim Dokja couldn't give a fuck about what she was doing. She was probably fine, maybe starting up a counter-cult, he didn't know. What mattered right now was that Min Jiwon was actually taking initiative to help, even if he knew that this would just go downhill from here.
Lee Seolhwa gasped in horror as soon as the other King spoke, though, looking at Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah worriedly. "Have they already gotten to the two of you?"
Yoo Sangah looked uncomfortable with that idea, but Kim Dokja could tell that she was far more concerned about Jung Heewon, who had frozen up instantly.
"I don't really have anything too awful in my past," Yoo Sangah admitted, "but Heewon-ssi…"
Well, they all knew what had happened to her, and if she was reliving that right now, then that was going to be extremely bad. All he could hope was that she was relatively alright, but Kim Dokja didn't want to get his hopes up too much.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is calling for blood.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is hoping that the two incarnations are alright.]
"Wait, hyung, isn't that a different skill?" Lee Gilyoung asked, sounding somewhat panicked as Nirvana touched Min Jiwon's forehead. "Is she gonna be okay?"
[Thought Infection]... it wasn't as bad as [Eternal Nightmare] in some ways, but worse in others.
"I don't think Jiwon-ssi has any desires that we need to worry about," Kim Dokja admitted. However, if that had been used on either of the other two women, or on her… then it might be a different story.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is furious.]
Nirvana mocks her for wanting to go to a luxurious spa as the hwarang are cut down around her. Through trembling words, Jiwon tries to deny it, but Nirvana pushes for her to accept her human desires. Dokja knows that this skill is what pushes people into joining the Salvation Church, and he grimaces.
While defending himself from the attacks of three people, Dokja checks if [Bookmark] has finished updating yet. Thankfully, it does at that very moment, upping its efficiency by 20%. This allows Dokja to activate [Way of the Wind lvl. 9], and he realizes that the increase in efficiency has raised the skill's level and he thinks he might be able to win.
Creating a small cyclone, Dokja pushes away his attackers and makes a rush for Nirvana. The scene slows just as the tip of Dokja's sword comes inches away from Nirvana's shocked expression. It then speeds up again as Nirvana barely moves their face in time for only some hair to be damaged. Falling onto one arm for support, Nirvana looks up at Dokja who now stares down at them with scorn with his arm extended from the stab.
"Shut up," Jung Heewon hissed, gritting her teeth in fury. "Just shut the fuck up. We're in the fucking apocalypse, of course anyone would want to go to a spa and have the world be normal again!"
It was awful that she was being mocked for such a simple desire, especially given the circumstances. Sure, she might have been a bit of a diva during her actress days, but that didn't mean that her wanting a nice, relaxing soak was wrong.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will get revenge for her incarnation.]
Even though Kim Dokja wasn't particularly thrilled with the fact that he was apparently fending off three people on his own—internally lamenting that it would have been easy if Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't been caught since they could have worked together—at least his stupid skill was done with its update.
Han Sooyoung had a complicated expression on her face for a moment before she sighed. "Y'know, I want to be pissed about that bullshit 20% increase, but you did get that even more bullshit update and you're in a fucking awful situation right now."
Wow, that was almost nice.
[several constellations are cheering for the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk raised a brow, seemingly having finally calmed down from earlier. "That was a good stab."
Huh. Maybe those two weeks of training did something for him after all. Kim Dokja tried to not let that praise get to his head, considering the circumstances. He was definitely not feeling floaty after that.
"But it could have been better," the protagonist continued. "We will work on that too."
Of course it wasn't going to be that simple. Goddammit.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is dismayed that the stab missed.]
Suddenly, Nirvana activates an attack with their mandala, causing temporary blindness (kindly viewed from a distance for the viewers behind the screen). Dokja recalls that Nirvana has a similar skill to Joonghyuk's [Transmission] that allows them to inherit skills from their past lives. As the dust settles, they ask how Dokja is able to use [Way of the Wind] and if they're the one that the 'Neutral guy' mentioned.
After redirecting the reincarnator's attack upward, Dokja realizes that his arm is twitching and that it hurts from the force required to do that. However, choosing to be cocky as always, Dokja smirks and remarks that he seems to be quite famous. Getting angry again, Nirvana calls Dokja impudent and zips forward, leaving a blur on the screen as they deftly move past Dokja's defenses to press two fingers to his forehead.
Kim Dokja grimaced, especially when his future self mentioned that Nirvana could also learn skills from their past life.
"Oh that's bullshit!" Lee Jihye hissed. "They're already strong enough!"
[a few constellations are wondering about the probability of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Shin Yoosung scoffed. "Ahjussi can use the skill because he's awesome."
And because of [Bookmark], but he'd take that compliment too.
"So it was that fucking slimy son of a bitch," Han Sooyoung cursed, narrowing her eyes as soon as Nirvana mentioned the 'Neutral guy'. Kim Dokja clicked his tongue too, glancing over at Yoo Sangah quickly. It seemed that his warning was absolutely warranted, but apparently even that hadn't been enough when faced with Nirvana's overwhelming ability to manipulate people.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is impressed that the incarnation 'kim dokja' could redirect that with his flimsy body.]
He was almost offended. He wasn't anywhere near flimsy anymore after putting a decent number of coins into his stats. The fact that he was having trouble was only proof of just how powerful Nirvana truly was. Their mana stat had to be higher than Han Sooyoung's, easily.
"Dokja-ssi, watch out!" Yoo Sangah yelled in horror as Nirvana rushed forward, fingers extended to touch his forehead, just like they had done to Min Jiwon earlier.
Shit.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is wondering how the incarnation 'kim dokja' will get out of this situation.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is furious.]
A golden lotus blooms from the point of contact as [Thought Infection] begins. Laughing maniacally, Nirvana addresses Dokja. "Live your present! Accept your desires!"
With a calm and level voice, Dokja replies, "Humans aren't the slaves of desire; they actually fight against it."
As Dokja levels Nirvana with a cold stare, the golden lotus turns a bright blue and probability sparks violently around him. [The Fourth Wall]—the MVP that it is—activates, leaving the reincarnator in shock as their skill shatters due to being nullified.
Sorry, but your thoughts will never work against me. Because my 'present' isn't here.
Yoo Joonghyuk turned to him with urgency and worry blazing in his eyes. "Kim Dokja, you—"
"Joonghyuk-ah, I'll be fine," he said as confidently as he could. "It's a mental attack, remember?"
He watched as everyone seemed to remember his other skill in real time, somewhat amused by the looks of realization and relief that crossed their faces. The kids visibly lost a ton of tension in their shoulders, and even Yoo Mia looked better than before.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smirking.]
"That's right, Dokja-ssi was able to throw off the theatre master before too," Lee Hyunsung remarked with wide eyes.
Just as he suspected, [The Fourth Wall] protected him, nullifying the effects of [Thought Infection]. He hadn't been completely sure that would work, but he was glad that his confidence hadn't been unfounded.
[some constellations are wondering about the meaning behind the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"What does that mean, ahjussi?" Yoo Mia wondered, looking at him curiously. "How is it not now?"
"Ah, well…" Kim Dokja trailed off, not sure how to explain everything to her.
Thankfully, Han Sooyoung spoke up with her own theory. "This is the third regression, and this asshole knows everything up to the 1863rd. If I'm right—and I probably am—then this is some kind of weird literature-related bullshit. TWSA was written in the past tense, which means that it was narrating events like they were in the past anyway."
Honestly, that was a really interesting guess.
"That does make sense…" Yoo Sangah admitted, looking pensive. "Are you implying that, for Dokja-ssi, his mind doesn't see this situation as the 'present'?"
[constellations who like literature are discussing the hypothesis of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[a few constellations are asking for further clarification.]
All Kim Dokja did was shrug with a fake smile pasted on his face. If they chose to focus on it, then it was probably better for him.
Trauma did things to you as it dug its claws into your brain, after all. Deep down, Kim Dokja knew that he didn't have just one 'present'. There were parts of him that were deeply traumatized who were forever stuck in different times. His present was simultaneously his life at seven, at fifteen, at seventeen, and at twenty-eight. At any moment, he could be brought back to those times, reliving and re-reading them as though they were happening in front of him for the first time again.
In the end, chalking his words up to something as simple as what tense TWSA was written in meant that he had to endure less questions. Unfortunately, there was one person who wasn't even considering something like that, and Kim Dokja knew it.
After all, she was staring straight at him.